Twilight Twitter Night - Girl's Night Out!

To Register go to: Meet Up or Eventbrite



When: Wed., August 18
Time: 6 pm-9 pm
Where: Aquila Lounge Bar 347 Keele Street (at Dundas) - there is a BIG green P parking lot right beside it.
Tickets: $15.00 in advance, $20 at the door.
The Junction is one of Toronto`s foremost artistic neighbourhoods - a hub for independent business and recently recognized as one of the New York Times "hip" communities.
Come enjoy the entire top floor with patio!

What's Included: Twitter presentation — Q&A, welcome cocktail, appetizers, prizes, wine tasting, gift bags for the first 30 people registered!
Whether you are a twitter newbie or have been tweeting for a while there is always something new to learn. Join Tamara of Wonder Moms to expand your knowledge of social media. Tamara will provide us with an overview on how to get started with Twitter and better utilize it for networking and
marketing purposes. Tamara, a noted mom entrepreneur of influence, will share her many business examples, Tamara, who is extremely seasoned in Twitter will provide you with an overview on how you can get started on twitter or better utilize it for networking and marketing purposes. Tamara will share her many business examples ( a noted mom entrepreneur of influence on twitter).

Overview will be provided on:

• Creating Lists
• Contests and Twitter
• Hash Tags
• Tweeting Tools for your PC and Smart Phone
• Twitter Dos and Don'ts
• Personalized Backgrounds
• How to Create Personality and target your customer
• Twitter VS Facebook 

Why You Have to be Here:
A Testimonal from Jennifer Gilbert Owner/Photographer at Naturally Beautiful Photography: "Recently I attended Leigh's second event and through the networking, not only did I meet lots of great ladies, but I also gained a new photography client."

Wonder Moms was founded by Tamara McPherson. Her motto is giving back and helping out the community with supporting Mother's and Families. Tamara has created a huge network of support for Mother's, business's and community causes. Tamara has been involved with many Social Media projects and works closely with large social media and PR companies. WonderMoms.ca does not stop at their website, they reach out through Twitter, Facebook, and a large Mother's on- line forum. Tamara is proud of how Wonder Moms has grown and she is committed to continue to move forward with integrity.

Leigh Mitchell is the Founder of Mom Entrepreneurs Network, Marketing4Moms and GTA Parent. Leigh is passionate about helping other established and aspiring mom entrepreneurs find connections, friendship and most importantly grow their businesses through networking, webinars and workshops. Leigh also provides marketing coaching services for women entrepreneurs looking for assistance with marketing planning and development.

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Free Dining at Disney Deal!

Travel to Walt Disney World between August 15th - October 7th, 2010; October 22 - October 28, 2010; November 12 - November 18, 2010; November 27 - December 2, 2010 and December 10 - December 21, 2010 and receive Disney’s Dining Plan for FREE!

This fantastic Walt Disney World Resort vacation offer includes hotel accommodations, Theme Park tickets and Disney’s Dining Plan!  You can choose from over 100 select Walt Disney World Resort restaurants and enjoy one Table-Service meal (includes character meals), one Quick-Service meal and one snack, per person, per night of your stay. Plus, with this appetizing package you will be in the middle of the Walt Disney World Resort magic, entitled to benefits making your vacation worry free and extra magical. Don’t hesitate, as this discounted package MUST be booked on or before August 14th, 2010. * When staying at a Disney Value Level resort, you will receive the Quick Service Dining Plan for free. You may opt to upgrade  to the regular Dining Plan by paying the miminal difference in cost between these two dining plans. Promotion cannot be combined with any other offer, is subject to availability and must have at least a 2 day base ticket and minimum three night stay. For a free, no obligation quote on this fantastic offer, please click here Kathryn Dickson is a Disney Vacation Planning Specialist with Fairytale Dreams and Destinations. Fairytale Dreams and Destinations which is the only TICO registered agency in Ontario that deals specifically with Disney destinations. You can contact Kathryn at 905-857-3611 or by email at kathryn@fairytaledestinations.com

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Walt Disney World Does Not Cost $10,000 – Seriously!

Last weekend, I hired a wonderful photographer to do pictures of my daughter. The photographer told me how much she would love to take her children to Walt Disney World, but cannot afford the $10,000 price tag.

“10 thousand dollars!” I exclaimed. “Who told you it would cost that much?!” Apparently her friend booked through a travel agent and paid that much. Wow… let me tell you what I’m envisioning:

• 4 return First Class tickets on Air Canada from Toronto to Orlando
• 7 night’s of Deluxe Level accommodations at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Concierge level
• Magic Your Way Park Hopper ticket and Water Park Fun & More tickets
• And that package would also include the Magic Your Way Premium Package where you receive unlimited use of recreation facilities (golf, fishing excursions, water sports), admission to Cirque du Soleil’s Show, theme park tours, preferred viewing for fireworks and professional portraits!

Unless they had won the lottery, I never would sell a package like that to a Guest. As a Disney Vacation Specialist, I pride myself on my reputation, making my Guests happy and I care more about the quality of my Guest’s magical vacation over how much commission ends up in my wallet.

If you’re on a budget, we can work within it. There are different levels of accommodation to suit various budgets. One of the things I discourage my Guests from doing is spending money on things they don’t need. For instance, I don’t feel that families need the park hopping option with their tickets. It can make for a lot of running around that’s unnecessary. What you can do with a regular base ticket is visit Magic Kingdom in the morning, leave for a swim and nap and then return to Magic Kingdom later in the day for dinner and fireworks. No Park Hopping required. Another travel agent may try to sell you on the perks of flexibility, I’m going to sell you on saving the average family of four over $200 by NOT adding it to your package.

Going in December/January/February? If you are, I’m never going to suggest the Water Park Fun and More option for your park tickets. It’s just too cold! And to get the most use out of it, you’d need to visit the water parks at least twice. Look – I just saved that same family over $400 by NOT adding this to their package!

Flexible with your vacation time? Go during Value pricing season. The resort accommodations are less expensive at this time of year (typically January, end of August, September, early December) and are more likely to be subject to a discount over high peak travel times such as Christmas, New Years, March Break and Easter.

And then, I kid you not; I can come up with a list of free (and some other relatively inexpensive) things to do at Walt Disney World for your family when you have a partial day to spare.

So do what I’m doing with $10,000 – (hopefully) having my kitchen redone. I’m taking my daughter to Walt Disney World for a lot less than that!

Kathryn Dickson is a Disney Vacation Planning Specialist with Fairytale Dreams and Destinations. Fairytale Dreams and Destinations which is the only TICO registered agency in Ontario that deals specifically with Disney destinations. You can contact Kathryn at 905-857-3611 or by email at kathryn@fairytaledestinations.com

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Do Your Kids Play Street Games?

Recently, I checked out New York Street Games DVD complete with a game instruction book. I really enjoyed watching the interviews with various celebrities that lived in New York City. Their descriptions of what games they played as youth were funny and entertaining. I have worked in the field of recreation my entire career and I can certainly say that children learn so many skills from free play. Children learn fine and gross motor skills and most importantly they learn social skills (and emotional intelligence). As a mom I can say that I want to ensure my children get enough exercise (a national problem amongst this generation of children) and allowing your children to play outside gives them an easy opportunity to get their daily exercise. Lastly, play is a great stress reliever (since our children are under constant pressure in school and formal activities). So if you need inspiration - please pick up a copy of the DVD available on Amazon.com. More info on this great project. 
More info on Play and park space visit: Kaboom

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Kathy Dishes on the Three R's of Summer!

Looking for stuff to do with the kids this summer? Kathy Buckworth a seasoned mom of four, gives you some tips to keep you sane during summer break. Kathy is the author of many parenting books including Shut Up & Eat! Tales of Chicken, Children and Chardonnay.  Check it out!

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Join the Dove Movement!

The Dove Esteem Movement - What Would I Tell My 13 year old self.... "You're Pretty in Pink!"

By Leigh on July 9, 2010 2:19 PM | 1 Comment | No TrackBacks

Did you know... 70% of girls believe they don't measure up in some way.

If I could go back in time and talk to my thirteen year old me I would say nothing to her at first. I would instead give her a hug. Then I would pause, look her straight in the eyes and say"It will be okay".

Life was not easy for me at thirteen.

It isn't easy for any thirteen year old - girl or boy but when you add in a dad who drank too much, struggles with school because of learning disabilities and separating your time between two homes (my parents divorced when I was two), you could say life was less than perfect. Back then I would dream it could be perfect and wished it could be perfect. I think I obsessed about perfection all these years simply because life seemed pretty dam un-perfect all those years ago and I thought if it was perfect I would be happy.

I was never any good at sports growing up (probably because I gave up too easily)and felt extremely uncomfortable when I was the last kid picked for gym class games. By high school I hid behind my humour. I still do. I make fun of myself a lot - maybe a bit too much. I would also say sorry a bit to often too.I am gaining a lot of insight into those old days and I feel confident that I could speak to my thirteen year old self with strength, wisdom and courage now.

I would tell my thirteen year old self to believe in your talents (take the time to explore what they are). I would say = "Don't give up Leigh - have faith in your future . You won't believe me now but all this pain in your life has purpose". I would tell her to never be afraid to tell the truth. Share your pain and experience with others one day so that they too will learn that they are not alone.

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